Impa, the Dragonborn
by Scorpionspear77
Summary: Impa wakes up to find herself in the world of Skyrim, right in time for Alduin to show his ugly face. Revealed to have been made a Dragonborn when transported here, she must defeat Alduin... while also doing stuff for the other people in Skyrim, picking sides in a war, and trying to get home! Rated T for now due to violence, may go to M later.
1. Unbound

**A/N: So Hylian Campfire Stories is on indefinite hiatus until I can come up with something to surpass that stories case of writer's block. However, this little story is based off my current PC file of Skyrim, where I tried to make my character resemble Impa and named her after the character. So now, I thought "What could I do with the scenario if HW Impa was just chucked into Skyrim's story and made into a Dragonborn because of the shift?" Well, I'm gonna find out with this one. I'll be trying to make this a lot like my way of playing Skyrim in terms of who Impa joins up with, but you won't find out what that is until it comes along. Let's go!**

* * *

 _Ugh…_

 _Still groggy… where am I?_

"Hey, you. You're finally awake."

Impa snapped to attention as she raised her head to look at the speaker. A man in blue light armor, sitting across from her. She was in a horse cart going downhill and her hands were tied. The horses were being driven by some official-looking men in armor. She looked back to the man who had spoken to her.

"You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." Impa was now only vaguely listening to the man as she began to scan her surroundings, staying silent. Behind them was another cart, carrying confiscated items. Within it she could spot her Biggoron's Sword and her Shekiah Naginata. She'd need to remember to retrieve those when she escaped… Soon, the cart entered a town and stopped. Impa stood and followed the other prisoners, having heard something about a rebellion that the man she'd been sitting next to had led, which she for now considered unimportant. She was too busy trying to subtly untie her hands when she was called forward. She looked up at the two officials standing before her.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Impa, native to the land of Hyrule and the last of the Shekiah tribe. I do not know how I came here, but I suspect a magic accident."

"Uh-huh. Not exactly implausible, given what some magic users are like, but however you got here, it may have been a bad time." The man turned to his superior. "Captain, what do we do? She's not on the list."

"Forget the list. She goes to the block" the captain snarled. Impa would have shouted in outrage, but she figured that would possibly get her shot or picked to go first. She still needed time to untie herself. As it turned out, she was not first to go. She was to be second. Thankfully, she had the ropes weak. As she followed instructions, she noticed something huge hovering overhead, and apparently, so did someone else.

"WHAT IN OBLIVION IS THAT?"

The speaker didn't have to wait long to find out what it was as something large, gray and scaly crashed down on a keep.

" _DRAGON!"_ someone screamed. Said reptile roared, sending a deafening sound through the town. Impa pulled her hands free and raced for her items, snatching up her weapons and her Adventure Pouch, stowing her naginata inside while strapping her sword across her back and then quickly following the Stormcloak soldiers into another keep.

"Jarl Ulfric, was that really a dragon? Could the legends be true?"

"Legends don't burn down villages. Come on, we need to get out of here before that thing burns this keep down with us in it."

Impa was not sure if she could trust Ulfric, but she knew that right now, he was right. As she ran up the stairs, the wall in front of her exploded into dust and stone and a cone of pure white hot flame blasted through the hole, an attack she just barely avoided. Strangely, seconds before the flame shot through, she could swear she heard a deep, gruff voice say " _Toor… Shul!"_ Brushing off the strange words, and seeing that the dragon had moved on, she leaped out of the hole and onto another roof. The entire town was on fire, and people were either lying burned in the street, running for their lives, or trying to kill the dragon. Impa would have joined in the fighting, but she could tell that this dragon was too strong to kill at this time. Dropping down to ground level and rushing through the town, Impa heard a voice calling her.

"Still alive, prisoner? Stick with me if you want to stay that way!" Noticing the Imperial soldier who had not agreed to her execution earlier, she charged after him, dodging fireball after fireball. As she looked up at the attacking beast, it caught her eye. Instantly, the monster shot her a look that Impa instantly realized was full of pure hatred, the likes of which she had only seen in Ganondorf. Eventually, they ran into the Stormcloak who had been sitting across from Impa in the cart.

"Ralof, you traitor! Get out of our way!"

"We're leaving, Hadvar. You can't stop us this time!"

"Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"

Unsure of who to follow for a minute, Impa eventually chased after Ralof, the Stormcloak, following him into the Helgen Keep. Once inside, she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you."

"That thing was a dragon, no doubt about it. The bringers of the End Times." Ralof shuddered at the thought, but he steeled himself and faced the Shekiah. "We need to get out of here. Take some of Gunjar's gear if you want, but I don't think you need it. Not with a weapon like that. May want to take his gold, though; I doubt any money you may have is acceptable here. See if we can get either of these gates open." Impa moved to inspect the left gate when she heard voices approaching. Both she and Ralof hid, when the gate swung open to reveal an Imperial soldier and the Captain that had ordered her execution for nothing. Ralof drew his sword and clashed with the soldier, and Impa and the Captain faced off. The Captain opened her mouth to say something- and never got a syllable out. Impa had drawn her Biggoron's Sword and taken the Captain's head off in a single lightning-fast strike, leaving the others in the room speechless. Not wasting time, Impa dashed across the room and cleaved the Imperial soldier down the middle with another strike. Ralof shook his head and picked his jaw up off the floor.

"Thank you for the assistance. I'd wondered exactly how skilled you were with a weapon that huge, and now I'm kicking myself for ever underestimating you. I'm certainly glad you're on my side. Try and search the Captain for a key to the gate over there."

Impa smiled and turned to do so. She needed to get out of here and find out more about this place, and if there was any way to return home. She was determined not to fail.

* * *

 **A/N: First chapter done! This story is now taking precedence over Hylian Campfire Stories, since this is gonna be WAY longer. I will not be completely neglecting that story, but I will be more focused on this one. For those of you wondering, Impa going with Ralof does not guarantee her joining the Stormcloaks. This will take a long time, but it should be a fun one. Of course, I'm gonna have to try and fit various side quests in with the main storyline, but I should be able to do that fairly easily. Also, just to head this off at the pass, I currently have no plans to incorporate** _ **Dragonborn**_ **and** _ **Dawnguard,**_ **as I have not begun the quest for** _ **Dragonborn**_ **outside of the initial cultist attack and I do not own** _ **Dawnguard**_ **, so I have no knowledge of how that quest goes. I may incorporate them, but if I do, it'll come in after the main quest is over. But, next time, Impa and Ralof head for the caves beneath Helgen to try and escape the dragon's wrath. Where will they end up? Will Impa find out how she ended up in Skyrim and why she was brought there? And what fresh horrors await her in the hostile land of the Nords? Find out in the next chapter! See you guys then!**


	2. Journey to Whiterun

**A/N: Alright, second chapter of many. I'm going to take my sole reviewer's advice and try to change the dialogue a bit instead of copy-pasting the stuff from the game. Events will still happen, of course, but I'm going to make a promise right now- the only character who will get their lines taken directly from the game is Paarthurnax (Oh, it's not like his existence is a spoiler). Everyone else, I write them how I want. Let's get started!**

* * *

With a final slash, the Imperial torturer's head rolled to the floor, another victim of Impa's Giant Blade. She and Ralof had fled to the caves below the keep to escape the dragon, and were making their way through the torture chamber. Impa looked around and scoffed. She had never been fond of torture or the people who performed it, which was why she'd always discouraged its use in Hyrule. If she needed information, she knew how to intimidate without actually harming someone physically. She shook her head- that was something to reflect on later. Taking off further into the caves and cutting down more soldiers, Impa began to notice an increasing number of cobwebs in the area.

"Excuse me, Ralof, was it?"

"Yes, what?

"Why are there so many webs around here?"

"Oh, no… Frostbite Spiders. There must be a nest ahead."

" _What's a Frostbite Spider?"_ Impa asked herself as she continued on- and stopped dead in the entrance to the next open area. She had her answer- inside the cave were multiple very large and very hairy spiders, each coming up to about her knees. They were not only tall, they were wide as well- not Skulltula size, but pretty close. And apparently they were more aggressive than Skulltulas as well, evidenced by the three that were skittering in her direction. Not willing to let them get close, Impa swapped her blade for her naginata and flung it in the spider's direction, igniting it on impact and causing a small explosion which sent the spiders flying in different directions.

"Good thinking there, those things have a pretty nasty venom."

"Can we just move on now, even just looking at their corpses is freaking me out. Not to mention there may be more."

"If there were more, they'd have dropped on us by now. But you're right, we should be moving. Dragon's still up there, and I have no desire to learn if he can cause a cave-in this deep down."

Shouldering her spear, Impa led the way into the next cave. Sneaking past a bear and following the tunnels eventually led them to daylight. After watching the dragon soar off, Ralof thanked Impa and gave her a map of Skyrim. He also suggested she stop in the town just down the path, Riverwood. She would be able to get supplies there. Thanking him for his help, Impa headed down the path ahead of him. She was absorbed in thought as she strode down the path, studying the map she'd been given. This Skyrim was huge, and while she was quite intrigued about the land and its people, she also wished to return home. She'd have to make finding a way to do that a priority. As she wondered how Zelda and Link were faring back home, a voice cut through the silence of the road and gave her quite the jump scare.

"You picked a bad time to get lost, _friend_ …"

Impa turned toward the voice to see a man in furs with a scarred face coming at her with a sword. Impa avoided his strike and flipped backwards, drawing her naginata and taking her stance. "What do you want with me?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want your coin and your things! Now hold still so I can kill you and take your stuff!" the bandit roared as he came at her again. Impa deflected his strike, kicked his sword from his hand, and impaled him through the stomach with her naginata as he attempted to draw a dagger. The bandit looked down in shock at the spear in his torso when he heard Impa whisper one single word.

" _Fool."_

It was the last thing he heard before Impa yanked her bloody spear out of his chest and cleaved his head from his shoulders in a single, fluid motion. Impa sighed in exasperation and sat down on the side of the road to clean her weapon. After that was done, she continued towards Riverwood, arriving in about a half hour. She met up with Ralof and also met his sister Gerdur. As she and Ralof shared what happened at Helgen, the honorary leader of Riverwood began to look increasingly worried.

"A dragon?! We'd be completely defenseless against that. Listen, Impa, I first want to say that I can't thank you enough for helping Ralof escape safely. But I need you to go to Whiterun and inform the Jarl of this matter. Ask if he can send down troops to guard the town. We will need it."

"I would go myself, but as a known Stormcloak, I would likely be arrested when I set foot in the city." Ralof stated.

"Very well. I'll go. But first, what exactly is a Jarl and what do they do? Forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard the term back home in Hyrule."

Gerdur gave Impa a quick synopsis on the city governors of Skyrim (as well as a few confused looks), allowed her to take some supplies and insisted on Impa taking some gold along as well. After wandering into the local shop and learning of a theft that had taken place, Impa set out for Whiterun. The journey wasn't very long, especially owing to her agility that allowed her to shortcut down the hillside. It did mean she had to cut down a few wolves, but nothing she couldn't handle. What she saw a few miles out though, shocked her. Three people- a woman and two men, to be precise- were attacking a _gargantuan_ humanoid thing with a club even larger than Impa's body. Shaking off the initial shock, Impa drew her Giant Blade and charged in to assist. The giant swung its club with an earthshaking impact that sent the other warriors flying just as Impa leaped forward and slashed, leaving a large cut across the beast's chest. It bellowed in pain and stumbled back, only to be hit by an arrow from one of the other warriors. The woman of the group charged forward, sword in hand. With a feral cry, she cut deep into the giant's leg. Roaring in pain, the beast lifted its club to crush the woman, only to find its arm missing at the elbow, courtesy of one of the men, who wielded a large two-handed straight sword. The other man, wielding a similar weapon, though appearing to be more skilled with it, followed through with the other arm. As the giant staggered and fell on its back, Impa leaped into the air, concentrating the water magic she used with her Giant Blade. A globe of water formed above the giant and burst, proceeding to form into a multitude of water daggers, which rained down on the giant, ending its suffering. Landing and letting out a breath, Impa turned to the trio of warriors, who were sheathing their weapons and approaching her. The woman spoke first.

"Impressive work, stranger. You're quite the fighter. We could use people like you."

"And who exactly are you all? I'd like to know that before I take that suggestion into further consideration." Impa said

One of the men spoke up. "We are members of the Companions, a group of warriors and hunters stationed in the mead hall Jorrvaskr in Whiterun. My name's Vilkas. The woman's Aela, and this is my brother Farkas. Our guild is dedicated to adventure, kinship, and helping the people of Skyrim when possible."

"Thank you, Vilkas. As I was saying, on behalf of the Companions I'd like to extend an invitation to Jorrvaskr and to join the Companions to you, if you are interested, of course. It would also help if we knew your name."

"My name is Impa. I'd gladly consider taking you up on that offer, but at the moment I have somewhat more pressing business in Whiterun."

"Take your time, it doesn't matter. You're only late to Jorrvaskr when you're dead."

Nodding, Impa took her leave of the group and continued to the walled city. After being momentarily stopped, she was able to make her way to Dragonsreach, where Jarl Balgruff the Greater resided. She talked over the problem in Riverwood and soon found herself wrapped up in a task for him and his court wizard to find a stone tablet in a place called Bleak Falls Barrow. And that was where she found herself now, stepping through the doorway and taking cover as she heard two bandits speaking about the theft in Riverwood. Perfect. She could kill two birds with one stone. Impa began forming an attack plan in her head. This would be a piece of cake.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's chapter 2! Hopefully I'm doing better. We've escaped Helgen, met the primary members of the Companions, met Balgruff (He'll get to talk later, I promise), and next time, we storm Bleak Falls Barrow!** **What awaits Impa within the dank recesses of the ancient tomb? If you've played the game, you know what. If you haven't, then you'll find out next time! Also, is it just me, or are these chapters all longer than the other stuff I've written? Also, in terms** **of DLC implementation, I have actually begun the primary quest for** _ **Dragonborn**_ **, so I will incorporate that when the main quest has been completed.** **Still no word on** _ **Dawnguard**_ **, though. See you next time!**


	3. Dragon Soul Rising

**A/N: This took a while didn't it? When finals creep up on you, you go through a crisis of realizing too late in the semester that your major isn't clicking with you but you have no idea what to change to at the time, and no one's reviewing, it becomes hard to get motivated to write. Hopefully a big chapter can make up for a long absence. Buckle up, this will take a while. Let's go! I don't own Skyrim or Zelda. Read and Review!**

* * *

Impa sheathed her Biggoron's Sword as the two bandits fell dead, new victims of her blade. As she made her way deeper, she came across a man caught in Frostbite Spider webbing. The man struggled, calling out for help when he noticed Impa. The man was likely a member of the bandit group that had stolen the Golden Claw. As she advanced, a gigantic Frostbite Spider the size of an alpha Dodongo dropped from the ceiling. Impa drew her naginata and struck the spider across the face. Screeching in fury, the spider struck out with its front legs, knocking Impa off balance. It then pounced, intending to impale Impa with its venomous fangs. It got an afterimage instead. Impa slashed at the beast's abdomen with her spear and circled around it as it attempted to spot her again. Eventually, she managed to kill it. She approached the bound man, a stern look on her face.

"So, are you that Arvel the Swift I heard your allies speaking about at the entrance?"

"Yes, yes. Where are they?"

"Dead. And unless you choose your words carefully, you'll be joining them in Hell."

"Wait! Wait! I know how the claw works!"

"… What do you mean 'how it works'?"

"The claw is a key to a treasure deeper in this old tomb. I'll tell you what- cut me out of these webs and I'll split the treasure with you when we find it. I'll even let you take the claw when we're done."

Impa could tell that Arvel was lying to her about splitting the treasure. Her various positions meant that she'd had to deal with people lying to her often, whether it had been those times in Zelda's childhood where she had rarely attempted to lie her way out of trouble, which was a habit Impa had thankfully rid her of, or a captured enemy trying to feed her false information. It was pretty obvious that when she cut him down, Arvel would either flee or attempt to kill her. But still, this was the only way through. She cut him out of the web, but Arvel turned and fled with a taunting remark as soon as he could move. Impa chased him, furious, but stopped short as some of the tomb's corpses began to rise from their resting places.

"I'll just let the draugr take care of-"

Arvel was cut off by a loud CLANG as a spiked wall swung forward, triggered by the pressure plate he had foolishly stepped on. He was flung across the room, dead before he hit the tomb wall, impaled in multiple places. Impa clashed with the undead draugr as they advanced on her. They were nothing like ReDeads or Gibdos. The undead she had faced were slow, lumbering, mindless monsters dragging gigantic blades and using paralyzing screams. These undead were every bit as agile as they likely were in life, using a variety of weapons and speaking in some language that Impa did not understand. They weren't as tough as a ReDead though, and as such it only took one or two slashes to put them down. When they were dead, Impa moved over to Arvel's body, taking his journal, his gold, and the Golden Claw from his corpse. After avoiding the pressure plate that had set off the spike wall trap, Impa continued deeper into the tomb, taking a few items such as potions, coins, books, and strange purplish-pink gems. Eventually, she came across a large door with three rings around it, each ring displaying a different picture. The rings could be spun to reveal one of three different pictures. In the center, there was a strange lock that the Golden Claw could fit into perfectly. She had a feeling it wouldn't be that simple. Checking Arvel's journal gave her the answer. The claw was enscribed with three symbols which matched to ones on the rings. She just needed to adjust them until the door matched the claw, and it opened seamlessly after the claw was inserted. A few rooms later and quite a few draugr later, and she found herself in the main chamber. There was a sarcophagus, a chest, and a strange wall with writing on it. One word on the wall appeared to be glowing. Impa found herself drawn to it, staring at the glowing word. Knowledge flowed into her, and her vision blurred. Impa stumbled back, clutching her head as her vision cleared. A word floated into her mind.

 _Fus…_

"Fus…" Impa whispered the word to herself. What did that word mean? Why could she suddenly understand a word she did not know how to read? What had happened to her? This question would have to come later, as the sarcophagus' lid was flung open and a dangerous-looking draugr emerged. Impa clashed with the zombie, the strange enchantment on its weapon making it a tough fight, not helped by the fact that it periodically pushed her back by shouting something she couldn't make out. It proved no match against the burning slashes of her naginata, and it soon fell. Impa made use of some of the potions she'd collected to restore herself, taking the Dragonstone from the draugr's corpse. Impa made her way back to Riverwood to return the claw, and then returned to Whiterun, returning the stone to Farengar.

"Wow, you actually found it! I suppose the Jarl chose the right person for the job. Now then, my friend and I will do our job."

Farengar turned back to the person standing over a map on his desk, when Jarl Balgruff's personal guard Irileth came running in.

"Farengar! Come quickly! A dragon's been sighted by the Western Watchtower!"

"A dragon!? Really? How exciting! What was it doing?"

"I'd be more concerned if I were you. If it attacks the city, I don't know it we can stop it. You two, come with me. The Jarl wants to speak with us."

Impa followed the two up to the Jarl, who tasked Impa and Irileth with killing the dragon. The two rallied a small force of soldiers and headed out to the watchtower. A lone survivor called out.

"Stay back! The others tried to make a run for it and got grabbed. Kynareth preserve us, here he comes again!"

The soldiers drew weapons and Impa readied herself as a loud bellow split the sky and a gigantic dragon came swooping out of the sky, spitting flame. Arrows peppered its tough hide as the soldiers scrambled to find a place to shoot from that was still somewhat safe from the flying reptile's flame breath. It didn't have as much raw power as an Argorok, but was a lot faster. Impa found herself taking cover by Irileth.

"This isn't working. Impa, do you think you can find a way to damage its wings and ground it?"

"Of course I can" Impa replied, looking out at their foe. She'd need to time this right… Soon, she saw her chance. Impa dashed towards the watchtower, and leaped off its wall as the dragon dived, managing to land perfectly on the monster's back. The dragon flew higher and began rolling and thrashing, attempting to shake her off, but the Shekiah held on tightly to one of its dorsal spikes. Drawing her naginata, Impa drove the weapon into one of the dragon's wings and pulled down, tearing a gash in the webbing of that wing. She then reversed her position and tore another gash in the other wing. Screeching in pain, the dragon plummeted. Impa leaped from its back, and the dragon crash-landed in the dirt, tearing a ditch in the ground. It managed to get back up, folding in its damaged wings and coming at Impa, furious. Impa drew her Biggoron's Sword and readied it, staring the dragon down. It stopped, and to everyone's surprise, spoke.

"You would bet your life on a single strike? You are brave, yet at the same time foolish, little _joor_. I am Mirmulnir, and I am your death!" the dragon roared. Mirmulnir's jaws opened wide as he lunged, and Impa's blade snapped out. The dragon reared back, a deep cut in his jaws, and Impa took the opportunity to leap forward and bring her blade's fury to bear on the underside of the dragon's exposed neck, cutting his throat. Blood spewing from the wound, his life fading fast, Mirmulnir glared at this mortal who had dared bring him down. Still, it mattered not. Alduin was back and he would be back. Then he felt a strange force pulling at his life, and his eyes widened in horror as he realized just who had slain him. _"Dovahkiin?! Niid!"_ He managed to choke out through his blood before falling to the ground, dead. Impa sheathed her blade as the other soldiers ran up to her.

"Amazing! You actually killed a dragon!"

"That was incredible!"

"I've never seen such a battle… wait, what's happening?"

Impa whirled to look at Mirmulnir's corpse. It was beginning to catch fire and the skin was starting to flake off. As everyone watched in awe, Mirmulnir's skin was transformed into several streams of glowing, fiery energy. Impa took a step back as said energy flowed directly into her chest. Impa clenched her teeth and stood still as a new sensation flowed through her body. It burned like she was standing in a fire, yet it felt like new power was flowing through her veins as well. This went on for several seconds until it stopped. Impa let out a breath and looked at Mirmulnir. Only the skeleton of the dragon remained, and the soldiers were staring at her in awe.

"I can't believe it… You… You're Dragonborn."

"I thought the Dragonborn were a myth."

"Tiber Septim himself was one."

"I've never heard of Tiber Septim killing any dragons."

"That's because there weren't any in those times, idiot. They're just coming back for the first time in… forever."

"Wait, wait. Dragonborn? What are you talking about?" Impa interjected. She had no idea what these people were talking about, but if it meant some answers as to what in Din's name had just happened, she wanted to know.

"It's an ancient legend. In the old times, when there were still dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would kill dragons and steal their power. That's what you just did, isn't it? Absorbed that dragon's power?" asked the guard who had called Impa Dragonborn in the first place.

"You… may be right. I have no idea what exactly just happened, but judging from how that felt, I'd say that's likely what happened." Impa stated.

"Well, there is one way to find out. The Dragonborn is said to be able to Shout without training. Go ahead and try to Shout. That should be proof enough."

Shout? Impa wasn't sure what the guard was talking about. Then that word from Bleak Falls Barrow floated into her mind again. Should she try that one? Might as well try. Impa nodded, and then turned to the skeleton. She inhaled, let the word flow into her mind, and shouted it out.

"FUS!"

To everyone's shock, including Impa's, a blue blast wave of kinetic energy flew from Impa's mouth as soon as the word left her throat, rattling the bones and knocking the skeleton on its side, scattering the bones.

"That was Shouting, what you just did! You really are Dragonborn!"

Impa looked at the toppled skeleton in awe. Dragonborn? What did that mean? Had she really been born this way in Hyrule and just never known it due to the only dragons she'd ever encountered being dark magic constructs? Or was this because of the magic anomaly that had brought her to Skyrim in the first place? These thoughts were swirling in her head as she made her way back to Whiterun. The rumbling of the ground and a set of voices sounding at once snapped her out of her reverie.

" _ **DOV-AH-KIIN!"**_

* * *

 **A/N: This took way too long to write. Still, I just changed to an English major and I hope I'll be able to write more alongside my assignments. Now for talking about the chapter. The part where Impa is slashing Mirmulnir's wings while holding onto his wings is a reference to Shadow of the Colossus (Great game, BTW). The "You would bet your life on a single strike" line is a reference to Berserk, where a demon asks Guts such a question. The clip is in Guts' analysis in Death Battle if you're interested. In terms of the draconic language used here, joor means 'mortal', niid means 'no', and Dovahkiin translates directly to 'Dragonborn'. So, we've stormed Bleak Falls Barrow and slain Mirmulnir. The Greybeards are calling us… What exactly do they want? What is Impa's destiny as Dragonborn? Has anyone reading this really not played this game before? Find out next time, in Impa, The Dragonborn! Again, be sure to review!**


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